Lost in the Past
by Midna Azusa
Summary: Two years after graduation, Judai's still learning what his new powers are. The worst time to discover one, though, is after you've caused your own cousin's death. Especially if that power leads you to a place that brings back similar memories. He can't face this alone. Can his friends help him through it? Or will things turn out the same way as last time?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So...this idea popped into my head, and I really wanted to start writing it. Angst and OCs. With that said, enjoy! I don't own Yugioh GX. Flashbacks are in bold, and spirits talking are in italics.**

**WARNING: angst**

* * *

Judai stopped outside of the funeral home, hesitating for a moment.

"_Judai?"_ Yubel asked.

He didn't answer, lost in his thoughts. _This is all my fault..._

**"****Judai, help me!" Shelly cried, reaching for him from under the support beam. Her blue eyes were wide in fear.**

**Flames raged around them. Judai was having trouble breathing through the smoke. He coughed.**

"**Hold on, Shelly, I'm coming!" he called.**

**The fire was cutting off their only escape route, but Judai wasn't about to leave her here. She was just a little girl, only eight years old. He tried to take a step forward, but some debris fell down, nearly crushing him.**

**"****Damn!" He looked around, trying to find some way to get to her through the flames. _There's gotta be something..._**

**But there wasn't. That was when he realized that he was surrounded by flames. No matter which way he went, he would have to head through the fire.**

**"****Well, in that case..." He jumped through the wall of flames before him, desperate to get to her in time.**

**"****Judai!" she coughed.**

**He patted out some fire on his sleeve as he ran over to where she lay. "It's gonna be okay, Shelly. You're gonna—"**

**There was a cracking sound. Shelly looked up, eyes wide in horror. So did Judai.**

That was the last thing he remembered. When he had woke up, he'd been in the hospital. It had been a couple days. They said the ceiling had caved in, burying him and Shelly. They said it was a wonder he was alive. But Shelly...

"I couldn't get to her in time," he said quietly.

_"__Judai, don't blame yourself,"_ Yubel said. _"You didn't cause that fire."_

He didn't answer. Though he disagreed.

"Judai?"

He turned. A woman with wavy brown hair stood there, her blue eyes rimmed with red from crying.

"Lisa."

"Judai, why are you here? You're not welcome."

There was a knot in his stomach all of a sudden. He had thought that they wouldn't want him around, but having it said so bluntly to his face was...

"Lisa, I'm sorry."

"Save it, you bastard!" an ebony-haired man said, coming over to stand beside the woman. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "You killed our daughter!"

"No! I—"

"You're the one who caused that fire!"

"I didn't—"

"We never should have left her alone with you!"

Judai backed up a step. "M-Minato..."

"You heard me!" Minato said, stepping away from Lisa. "Now get out of here! I never want to see you again! _We_ never want to see you again!"

Hoping for some sort of support, Judai looked to Lisa. She wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Fine," he said quietly, backing up slightly. "I'll leave."

"Good! And make sure you never come back, freak!"

Judai froze for a second, stunned by the coldness in Minato's voice. Lowering his head, he ran off.

* * *

_"__Judai, don't let them get to you,"_ Yubel said as he walked through town. _"What do they know? They weren't there."_

"But they're right. That fire was my fault."

_"__You've got to stop blaming yourself for things you can't control!"_

"I _could _have controlled that, though!"

_"__Yes, by avoiding everyone in the world! How were you supposed to know that maniac would show up at your cousin's house!?"_

Judai lowered his head. "You're right."

_"__That's what I thought,"_ she said, crossing her arms.

"I need to start avoiding everyone."

_"__Judai! That's not what I meant!"_

"Maybe not. But it's the only way I can avoid having—"

_"__Judai, this is the first time something like this has happened!"_

He was silent for a moment. Finally, he corrected, "Second."

Yubel stared for a bit before asking, _"What?"_

"The second. The first time it happened was back in high school when all my friends got dragged into your fight with me."

_"__Judai..."_

"That was the first time that others had to suffer because of me. The first time people got hurt because of me. Now, this time, it's my little cousin." He started trembling. "She's dead, and it's all my fault!"

_"__Judai, that's not—"_

"Yes, it is! Why can't you understand that!? I'm too dangerous to be around! Getting involved with me can get people hurt, or worse!"

Just then there was a bright flash. Light engulfed everything. When it faded, Judai looked around. His eyes widened in horror.

"H-how...?"

Wasteland, tinted purple by the dim light of the comet overhead. In the distance, he could see a familiar building. It was the building where he had dueled Brron, the place where his friends had been sacrificed...the place where he had gotten that Super Polymerization card that he had used as Haou.

The memories came flooding back.

**"****Sparkman, take Broww out!"**

**The hero complied, destroying the enemy monster.**

**Brron smiled wickedly. "At this moment, the symbol for anger is added to my Wicked Scripture."**

"**What?"**

**He heard a groan, and, when he looked, he saw Manjoume getting to his feet. He tugged on the chains, then noticed the other people who were chained up with him.**

"**Tenjoin-kun! Fubuki! Kenzan!" he exclaimed. He said something else, but he was speaking quieter—Judai couldn't make it out.**

**The Ojama trio appeared beside him and said something else Judai couldn't make out.**

"**Manjoume!" he called. "You all right!? Sit tight! I'll save you soon!"**

**Manjoume looked pretty steamed up. Judai watched him, certain he could see his lips moving, but he couldn't hear a word he was saying. But, when he yelled, Judai sure as hell heard him.**

**"****Judai, you damn idiot! Weren't you going to save Johan _with_ us!?"**

**Judai looked at him in disbelief.**

**"****Getting yourself all flared up...," he went on. "You didn't even stop to think about us at all, did you!?" As he spoke, the other three regained consciousness as well.**

**"****Y-you're wrong! It's—"**

**"****That's just how you are!" Manjoume cut him off. "_You_ were the only one in your _kingdom_ from the get-go! _We_ were the idiots for getting all mixed up with you and feeling some sense of _friendship_ with you being like that!"**

**With that, a rune came out if his neck and flew to the book above Brron's head. Manjoume started to glow, the way people always did when they died. Two of the Ojamas grabbed him, and, as he faded away, they went with him.**

As Manjoume's picture had appeared on a page in the book, Brron had explained that attacking him would lead to one of Judai's friends being sacrificed. Their words upon hearing this came back suddenly.

**Fubuki held a hand to his chin, thoughtful. "If Judai attacks, we'll vanish one by one..."**

**"****That just can't be it!" Asuka exclaimed. "Why do we have to be treated like things in this duel!?"**

**"****She's right! It's your fault, Aniki!" Kenzan snapped, his voice full of rage. "It's 'cause you run off when you want to!"**

"My fault...," Judai said quietly.

**"****The effect of my Wicked Scripture will activate in conjunction with your attacks," Brron said after having forced Judai's monsters to do battle.**

**Three cards came flying out of his duel disk—the Wicked Runes for hatred, anguish, and sadness. Judai watched in horror.**

**Kenzan let out a scream. "Aniki! Why did you want to save Freed's comrades when it meant sacrificing _us!?_"**

**"****You're wrong...," Judai said, unable to believe what his friend was saying. "That's not it, Kenzan!"**

**"****I-It's painful..."**

**Judai turned toward Fubuki, who put a hand to his head.**

**"****This pain isn't just physical... It's the pain of a friend's betrayal that's tearing my soul apart!"**

**"****Fubuki..."**

**Asuka's words were the worst: "I'm being betrayed and sent away by _you... _To think that I'll have to bear a sadness like this..."**

**He turned to her, his eyes watering. "Asuka..."**

**As he watched, the runes emerged from his friends and flew toward the book, where Manjoume was still on the page marked "anger." Then his three friends started glowing, the way Manjoume had.**

**"****They can't...," Judai said, shaking his head in denial.**

**But they could, and they did—the three disintegrated into dust right then and there. They were gone. And they were never coming back.**

Judai trembled, unconsciously walking toward the stadium.

**"****Where are Johan and Freed's comrades!?" Judai demanded as Brron's life points hit zero.**

**"****I already told you!" Brron said as he started to glow. "Their blood has been absorbed by the sand of this field. The boy you call 'Johan' is dead."**

His mind fast-forwarded.

**"****Sho. I'm really glad you're alive."**

**"****Those...those are nothing but hollow words...," Sho said. "Aniki... You're too selfish, Aniki. All this time, Aniki, I thought of you like the sun, giving us all strength, able to make the impossible possible... But...I guess I thought wrong... For you, things were fine if _you_ were okay... It didn't matter who you sacrificed as long as it all helped _your _plan! Even if you avenge them, the ones you sacrificed won't come back! Aniki, you've been dueling to satisfy _yourself!_"**

**Judai's eyes widened in horror. How could his best friend accuse him of such things? Or...was he telling the truth? Sho honestly believed what he was saying...**

**"****Sho..."**

**"****Don't talk to me! You're not my aniki! You're not my aniki!"**

**Sho ran from the arena, with Jim following behind. O'Brien started after them as well.**

**"****O'Brien!" Judai said.**

**He stopped, glanced back over his shoulder, and said, "I _did_ tell you to wait, didn't I?"**

**"****So, then, I made a mistake?"**

**His eyes narrowed and he turned away, saying, "Think about that on your own."**

**And he ran off, leaving Judai to do just that. He fell to his knees.**

_"__Judai!"_ Yubel snapped. _"You're straying into dangerous waters here! Stop thinking about this! And find some way out of here before you lose your mind!"_

"Lose my mind...," he said quietly, thinking about what had happened after that.

**"****That card...Super Polymerization. To unlock its power, defeat those who try to oppose you, and absorb their energy."**

**"****Hold up! Exactly who are you!?" Judai demanded of the...thing...inside his head.**

**"****The ruler of this world: Haou."**

The time after that had been pure torture. It felt like years before he was released from that dark prison. But it came at a price. Jim had sacrificed himself in a failed attempt to save Judai, and O'Brien was unable to defeat Haou, so he ended the match in a draw to save the fool he'd followed to this world, sacrificing himself as well.

_"__Judai, stop this,"_ Yubel pleaded. _"You're only bringing yourself down."_

He didn't seem to hear her. He was still lost in another world. Stepping into the arena, he said, "D-Dark World... I-I'm...back in..."

_"__Judai!"_

For a moment, he was silent. Then, finally, he asked, "Yubel...you sent my friends to another world, but what about the other people I hurt as Haou? Did you send them somewhere else?"

She wasn't sure she should answer—it wouldn't make him feel better. But not answering would tell him the same thing. _"No, Judai. I was only concerned with keeping your friends. The others... Well, they're gone. Forever."_

He lowered his head, trembling. An image of Shelly in that fire ran through his mind, but it quickly switched to a burning village under attack by that fiend, Inferno Wing.

And, again, a bright light blinded him.

* * *

Manjoume drew his card. He was in the middle of a championship match against the best duelist in the Pros. Well, they _thought_ he was the best, but Manjoume Thunder was going to prove them wrong—he'd end it this turn.

"I activate Armed Dragon LV10's effect! By sending a card in my hand to the graveyard, I can—"

A bright light engulfed the field, and Manjoume cut himself off, shielding his eyes.

"What the—?"

"What's this light!?" the announcer demanded.

It dimmed after a moment. Manjoume lowered his arm, confused. He glanced at the field, and his eyes widened.

"Judai!?"

The two-tone brunette was lying in the middle of the arena, a bandage on his hand. His jacket and pants looked singed, as if he'd just gotten out of a burning building.

"It appears that a man has suddenly appeared in the dueling arena!" the baffled announcer said.

A low murmur arose in the crowd. Manjoume ran over to the brunette.

_What the hell just happened!? Where did this guy come from!?_

He knelt down beside Judai, saying, "Judai! What are you doing here!?"

The brunette didn't speak, but he did whimper. Manjoume grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him up.

"I asked what you're doing here, Judai!"

Judai, his head low, quietly said, "I made a mistake... It's all my fault..."

Manjoume's opponent took a step forward. "Hey, is he alright?" he asked.

Manjoume turned to him and said, "I'm sorry, but can we reschedule this? I have to deal with this idiot."

The man blinked. "Uh, okay, I guess..."

"Good." Turning back to Judai, he said, "Come on, you idiot. Let's take this somewhere private."

He dragged Judai out of the arena, hoping to get to the bottom of what was going on.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh GX just on the off chance that you thought I did.**

* * *

Manjoume pushed Judai onto the couch of his hotel room. "Alright, spill it. What's going on, and how exactly did you randomly appear in the middle of an important duel!?"

Judai's head was low, his hair hiding his eyes from view. "It's my fault...," he said for the millionth time.

"What's your fault!? Damn it, Judai, try to make sense for once in your life!"

All was quiet for a moment as Manjoume waited for an answer. When it became clear that Judai wasn't talking, Manjoume sighed.

"You really are an idiot, you know that?"

After a moment, Judai quietly answered, "I know... You've said... I'm a damn idiot..."

Manjoume looked at him quizzically. "I never said _that_. Just that you're an idiot."

The brunette started trembling, saying, "Yes, you did. And that was my fault. I...I was selfish. I didn't stop to think about you guys at all... That's just how I am..."

Manjoume couldn't shake the feeling he'd heard those words somewhere before. He thought about it for a bit, but finally had to ask, "Where have I heard that before?"

There was no answer from Judai, not that Manjoume had been expecting one. He was starting to think he couldn't handle this one on his own. The only thing he could think to do if Judai wasn't talking was hit him, and, as much as he would have loved to hit Judai right then, with the things Judai was saying, it seemed that would just make things worse. It was time to call in some backup.

He picked up the phone, dialing the first number that came to mind—Asuka's.

"Hello?" she answered sleepily after a couple rings.

"Hey, Tenjoin-kun, I've got a slight problem over here. I mean, in case you didn't see it on TV," he said sarcastically, certain that most of their friends had caught it. _It's only a matter of time before Sho starts bugging me, I'm sure._

"Manjoume, you're dueling in Japan. I'm in America, where it's actually pretty late. Why are you calling at this hour? What happened?"

"The idiot showed up."

"Judai!?" she exclaimed—none of them had seen him since he'd run off two years ago.

"Yeah. I don't have a clue how it happened. One minute, he wasn't there, the next, he was. He's not talking, just muttering about something being his fault and saying stuff about him being selfish, whatever that's supposed to mean."

Asuka was quiet for a moment before saying, "How long are you going to be in Japan?"

"Until somebody shows up to figure out what's going on with this guy," he answered.

"Then I'm on my way," she said. "Keep an eye on Judai until I get there, okay?"

She hung up before he could answer.

"Yeah, sure, okay," he muttered.

He didn't have much time to be mad about this, though, because somebody began frantically knocking on his door just then.

"Manjoume, open up!" Sho's voice called through the door. "Open up, open up!"

With a sigh, he went to get the door before Sho could break it down. When he opened it, Sho fell into the room. Ryo was standing there as well, looking mildly concerned.

"Aniki!" Sho said, sitting up suddenly. He glanced around the room, spotting Judai on the couch, and ran over. "Aniki, are you alright!? What's going on!?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out," Manjoume said. "But he's not saying."

"Really?" Ryo asked. "Is he saying anything?"

"It's my fault... It's all my fault...," the brunette muttered.

Manjoume gestured to him lamely, saying, "Yeah, that."

"Aniki, what's your fault?" Sho asked. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Everyone...everyone always gets hurt because of me... It's my fault..."

They were all quiet for a moment. Finally, Ryo asked, "Who got hurt, Judai? What happened?"

"S-Shelly... Sh-she..."

"Who the fuck is Shelly!?" Manjoume demanded.

No answer from Judai.

Ryo looked at him for a moment before saying, "I think we should give him some time to calm down. He'll talk to us when he's ready, I'm sure."

"But—" Sho started.

"Don't worry, Sho. He'll be fine."

"Yeah, okay," Manjoume said, crossing his arms. As concerned as he may have been—whether he would admit it or not—he couldn't help but be annoyed that Judai had shown up right in the middle of his duel. _Why did he have to show up _there_, of all places!?_

* * *

Asuka caught a red-eye flight to Japan, arriving several hours later. When she showed up at the hotel where Manjoume was staying, she met some others at the door.

"Johan," she said. "Jim, Kenzan... What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was watching Manjoume's duel when a bright light covered everything. When it faded, Judai was lying there," Johan answered. "Since Manjoume called the duel off to take care of Judai, I figured there was something wrong with him. I'm here to check on him."

"Same goes for me," said Jim.

Kenzan nodded. "He wasn't moving, then Manjoume ran over to check on him and called off the match."

"That does sound serious," Asuka said, growing more worried by the second.

"Hey! I guess I'm not the only one who thought that duel deserved a visit."

Everyone turned to see Fubuki walking over.

"Nii-san!"

"Though I'm surprised you're here, sissy. Aren't you attending college overseas?"

"Manjoume called me and said Judai wasn't doing too well," she answered. "I came to see what's wrong."

Fubuki nodded gravely. "Then we better get up there."

* * *

"Well, I guess he's calmed down," Manjoume muttered, watching Judai sleep on his couch. "But he ain't talking!"

"Wait until he wakes up, Manjoume," Ryo said patiently.

There was a knock at the door, and Manjoume called, "It's open!"

"Where's Judai?" Asuka asked, walking in with Fubuki, Jim, Johan, and Kenzan.

"Sleeping on my couch," Manjoume said, annoyed, pointing to the brunette.

They all glanced over at Judai lying on the couch. Asuka walked over and sat down on the arm, watching him for a moment.

"How long has he been asleep?" Johan asked.

"About an hour."

"Yeah, before that, he kept saying that something was his fault, and he mentioned someone named Shelly," Sho said, looking worried.

"Aniki..." Kenzan looked at him with concern.

Asuka couldn't help but feel she needed to know what was going on. The sooner she figured it out, the sooner she could help him. Somehow she couldn't shake the feeling that something awful could happen if they didn't find out what was wrong with him. She shook him gently, trying to wake him. He moaned, opening his eyes slightly, and looked up at her.

"Asuka...," he said.

"Hey, Judai," she said, smiling gently. "How are you feeling?"

He blinked, looking confused. "Uh...fine? Hey, what are you doing here, anyway? I thought you went to America."

"Well, I...I came to check on you," she answered, blushing slightly.

"We all did, pal," Johan said, stepping forward. "What happened?"

Judai blinked again, still looking confused, but his eyes widened after a moment as realization dawned on his face. He shook his head, saying, "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Don't lie, you idiot!" Manjoume snapped. "You've been sitting there muttering about it being your fault, and something about 'Shelly.' What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"

"Don't worry about it!" Judai responded. "It's not your problem, and it's over, anyway."

"Who's Shelly, Judai?" Asuka asked.

He shook his head frantically. "Nobody! She's nobody!"

"Calm down, mate," Jim said.

"Aniki, come on!" Kenzan said. "Talk to us! Who is she!?"

"Stop asking about her!"

"Is she a friend of yours?" Sho asked.

"No!"

"Lover?" Fubuki asked.

"No!"

"Then what—"

"She's dead, now shut up!"

Everyone was silent for a bit, taking that in. Whoever this Shelly person was, she was dead...and Judai kept saying it was his fault...

"Judai, what do you mean she's dead?" Asuka asked gently. "What happened?"

He lowered his head, trembling. "S-she...she was my cousin's kid... I t-told them I'd babysit while they went out for their anniversary... B-but this guy showed up and barged right into their house, saying he—he sensed great power in me, and he wanted to harness it for himself. H-he told me to go with him quietly, b-but I said no. We started fighting, and—and a fire started. Neither of us noticed at first, not until it was getting really out of control. H-he got out, but I had to get Shelly, she was my responsibility! I headed upstairs to find her. I-I heard her scream from her room, and I ran in to help her. She was stuck under a support beam for the house, but she was still alive. I tried to get to her, but the fire cut me off. When I did get to her, it was too late. Th-the roof caved in on us both."

"Judai..."

"Th-the doctors said it was a wonder I was okay. B-but Shelly... Sh-she..."

Asuka pulled him into a hug. "It's okay, Judai. It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was!" he said, pulling away. "I was supposed to be taking care of her, and instead I started fighting some maniac and we wound up setting the house on fire!"

"Yeah, well, it's not your fault if the kid didn't notice the fire, either," Manjoume retorted. "She should have gotten out when she smelled the smoke."

Judai didn't answer, so Asuka said, "See, Judai? There's plenty of blame to go around. It's not your fault."

"Yeah? Well, tell that to her parents..."

"What does it matter what they think? They're idiots for leaving a kid alone with you, anyway."

"Manjoume!" Asuka snapped.

"What? It's true."

Judai sat there for a bit, thinking about this. Finally, he said, "You're right."

Everyone turned to him. "Huh?"

"You're right. They were the idiots for leaving her with me. Just like you were the idiots for thinking of me as a friend."

"Where's this coming from!?" Manjoume demanded.

"That sounds...familiar," Fubuki said.

"Yeah," Kenzan agreed.

"B-but it doesn't sound familiar to me!" Sho said.

Asuka's eyes widened. "Dark World," she said, quietly.

Everyone but Judai looked at her.

"What?" Johan asked.

"When we were in Dark World, Manjoume, Kenzan, Fubuki, and myself were all sacrificed in a duel Judai had. I...I think Manjoume said something along those lines right before he was sacrificed."

Manjoume's eyes widened. "T-then that's what he's saying... But why's he bringing that up _now!?_"

Asuka shook her head. "I don't know."

"Aniki, what's that got to do with anything!?" Sho asked, frantic.

"That was my fault, too," Judai said, his head low. "I just ran off when I wanted to. I was willing to sacrifice everyone as long as it helped my plan..."

Kenzan's eyes widened with the statement about running off—his words. "I...think I said something like that..."

Sho paled, hearing the words he had spoken to his friend in a moment of doubt. "I-I..."

"Judai, why are you thinking about what happened in Dark World?" Asuka asked.

That's when it happened—a bright light blinded them all, similar to when Yubel had sent them to another dimension during their third year at Duel Academy.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! Gee, I say that a lot lately... Well, it's the last week of classes, I'm burnt out, and finals are right around the corner, so I think I've got an excuse, especially considering the craziness in my life right now... But enough about that! You guys don't need to hear it. Just be warned that it may lead to even slower updates. Rest assured, though, that I will not discontinue a story unless I completely forget where I'm going with it or run out of ideas. Every story I've got going on will be finished eventually. So, without further ado, enjoy! I don't own Yugioh GX.**

**Also, a shameless plug... Check out Shadgirl2's story, A Second Chance, on her page if you haven't already.**

* * *

Asuka blinked, slightly disoriented, and looked around. Her eyes widened as she took in her surroundings. _N-no way...! H-how...?_

She was standing in the middle of a familiar arena, along with the others. The sky was dark, save for a red comet in the sky. Glancing behind her, she saw a cliff. The last time she had been in this place, she had been up on that cliff in chains, along with her brother, Kenzan, and Manjoume. And Judai had been dueling Brron...

"What the hell happened!?" Manjoume exclaimed. "How did we end up in Dark World!?"

"You followed me," Judai muttered.

Asuka looked down to see him sitting on the ground, his head low.

Looking at him, Jim couldn't help but think about what had happened the last time they were here: when Judai had turned into Haou. He also couldn't help but realize that they were back in the place where that had happened and that Judai wasn't doing too well emotionally.

"Judai, listen to me," Jim said, kneeling down in front of him. "This isn't the same. It's been two years, mate. I don't know how we got here this time, but it wasn't you."

"Why did things turn out this way?" Judai asked as if Jim hadn't spoken.

"Judai!" He grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him slightly.

"What did I do wrong?"

"Judai!"

"What's he even talking about!?" Manjoume demanded.

"Aniki?" Sho asked, worried.

Jim's eye narrowed, and he shook Judai again. "Judai, look at me!"

Slowly Judai lifted his head. His eyes had the same dead look as they had back then, but they were still brown, which was reassuring to Jim.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Judai," he said firmly. _I don't know what's going on here, but Judai's obviously having trouble telling the past from the present. Hopefully he won't fall to the darkness again._

"But..."

"No buts, Judai!"

"Shelly..."

Manjoume, tired of watching this, did the only thing he could—he walked over and pulled Judai up off the ground before punching him in the face, knocking him back to the ground.

"Manjoume!" Asuka exclaimed.

"Snap out of it, you idiot!" Manjoume bellowed. "Shelly didn't die because of you! She died because of some idiot with bad timing! Now quit blaming yourself for what you couldn't control!"

Judai sat up slowly, a hand on his cheek. Asuka rushed over and knelt down beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Judai," she said gently. "They're right. Come on, snap out of it."

He looked at her, and his eyes were filled with so much guilt and sadness that she felt her heart might break just from the sight. She pulled him into a hug.

"It's all right, Judai," she soothed. "It's all right."

"I'm not entirely sure that I would use those words myself," a familiar voice said from behind them.

Everyone turned to see a rather startled man with black hair and eyes. He was wearing a green shirt, black pants, and yellow boots and jacket.

"Misawa!" Sho exclaimed. "You're here?"

"I've been here for two years!" he exclaimed indignantly. "The question is what _you're_ doing here!"

"We don't even know," Johan said. "One minute, we were checking on Judai, and the next, we were here."

Misawa glanced at Judai, then looked back to Johan. "Interesting... Well, I suppose you'll have to stay here for the time being, regardless. I'll find out how you came to be here, and, with any luck, we can get you all home."

"You'd better find a way to get us out of here," Manjoume said. "This idiot's having flashbacks or something." He hitched a thumb at Judai.

"I'm fine," Judai said, getting to his feet. "Don't worry about it, Misawa."

But he didn't sound or look fine.

Misawa stared at him for a long moment before saying, "Right. Well, regardless, we should get moving. I doubt any of you really want to be around here." He turned and headed for the exit.

The others followed, Asuka holding Judai's hand to make sure he stayed with them. With how he had been acting lately, she didn't want to take any chances with him.

"Come to think of it, Misawa, what are you doing here?" Sho asked.

"I saw a bright light over here, and I came to check it out. Though, I have to admit, I never expected to find you guys here." He closed his eyes thoughtfully, then added, "I really will have to look into what caused this. I didn't think there was a rift open between our two worlds."

"I'm not sure there was," Ryo said.

"What do you mean?"

"This happened when Judai was thinking about the past. More specifically, what happened here in Dark World. He was quoting what the others had said, as well."

Misawa looked at Judai again. The brunette's head was down, hiding his face. Asuka was looking at him with obvious concern.

_There's something wrong with him,_ Misawa thought. _Could his mood somehow be related to this sudden dimensional transfer? But Judai doesn't have that sort of power! Does he?_

* * *

Misawa led them back to a village. Jim recognized it as the one he and O'Brien had visited the last time they were here—one of the ones Haou had destroyed. He glanced at Judai, hoping he wouldn't realize this fact.

The village had been rebuilt since Haou's attack, and there were plenty of people around. An Amazon approached them as they arrived—Tania, the woman Misawa had chosen to stay with last time.

"Misawa, did you discover—" She cut herself off, looking at the people behind him. "Were they the source of that light?"

"It seems so," he answered. "Either Dark World is sucking people in again, or something else is happening."

Tania nodded. "Then I suppose they'll be staying with us for now."

"That's the plan," Misawa said.

"We should find them a place to stay for the time being."

"Agreed," Misawa nodded. "And then I've got a few questions I'd like to ask everyone. That is, if you're all up to it." He eyed Judai as he added this last.

"I told you, I'm fine," the brunette said, his eyes fixed firmly on the ground.

"If you say so."

"Come," Tania said, turning. "I'll show you to your sleeping quarters while you're with us."

* * *

Tania showed them all to a couple empty houses, placing Fubuki, Manjoume, Ryo, and Kenzan in one and Judai, Johan, Sho, and Jim in the other. On Asuka's insistence, she let her stay with Judai as well.

After their sleeping arrangements were made, Misawa got down to the business of finding out what was going on. The others insisted that Judai shouldn't be interrogated just then, so Tania took him with her on the pretense of having him help with chores.

"What exactly was going on when you were sent here?" Misawa asked once Judai was gone.

"We were trying to get Judai to tell us what's been bothering him," Asuka answered.

"Bothering him?"

"He showed up in the middle of an important duel of mine, just lying in the middle of the field," Manjoume clarified. "He wasn't talking at first, then he wasn't making sense when he _did_ speak up. He said something about making a mistake and how it was all his fault."

Misawa put a hand to his chin, nodding thoughtfully. "Hmm. I see."

"Then...I think he started repeating what I said to him the last time we were here," Manjoume went on. "Since he still wouldn't tell me what was going on, I called Tenjoin-kun."

Sho took over there, saying, "But, before she showed up, my Nii-san and I got there, and Aniki just kept saying stuff about people getting hurt because of him, then he mentioned someone named Shelly."

"The idiot fell asleep after awhile, then these guys showed up," Manjoume said, hitching a thumb at Kenzan and the others. "Asuka woke him up, and it started all over again!"

"We kept asking about who Shelly was," Johan added, "but he tried to avoid the question. He did eventually say that she was dead."

"Dead?" Misawa asked. "Wait, do you know who Shelly was, then?"

"His cousin's daughter, apparently," Ryo said. "Judai was babysitting, and some power-hungry man attacked and set the house on fire. Judai couldn't get her out in time."

Misawa nodded slowly. "I see... Well, that explains why he's so upset. But it doesn't explain anything else."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too," Manjoume said.

"But Judai blames himself for it," Jim said, "and I'm sure at least half the reason is because the girl's parents said that it was his fault."

"But it wasn't!" Asuka pointed out. "Doesn't that mean anything to him?"

Misawa closed his eyes, deciding he had enough information on what was bothering Judai. Now he just had to figure out how this connected to Dark World.

"It seems this whole thing is causing Judai to have flashbacks to what happened here two years ago... As I wasn't there, can someone remind me what you all said to him when you were sacrificed?" he asked.

They thought about it for a long time before Manjoume said, "I... Well, from what Judai said, I guess I said we were idiots for thinking he was our friend."

"We were saying it was his fault," Kenzan added, "but it was, wasn't it? I mean, he _did_ just run off when he wanted to!"

"After the duel, I said that he was willing to sacrifice everyone," Sho said quietly. "I mean, it seemed like he'd do anything to save Johan..."

Sensing impending hatred of Judai, Misawa said, "Okay, but he _did_ save you all in the end, didn't he?"

Kenzan and Sho fidgeted. Manjoume humphed. Asuka looked down.

"Of course he did," Jim said. "And, just so you all know, he never forgave himself for letting you all be sacrificed. He fell into darkness after that. It was a miracle O'Brien and I were able to get him back."

"Wait, he did what now?" Fubuki asked.

"It's true," Ryo said, his arms crossed. "He became a wicked king, destroying all those who opposed him. Once O'Brien saved him from himself, he had to deal with the damage that had caused."

"Yeah," Sho agreed. "Aniki couldn't use Polymerization because he'd been using evil fusion monsters to hurt people, and I guess he couldn't bring himself to summon anything through fusion after that."

"I remember this part," Misawa said. "It seemed he was afraid that he'd become that way again should he use Polymerization. The Kaiser helped him to get over that."

Sho nodded. "Then he was able to face Yubel and save everyone."

They stood there in silence for a moment.

Deciding it was time to get this conversation back on track, Misawa said, "Alright, so, basically, Judai's blaming himself for harm coming to someone he cared for, correct?"

"That's what it sounds like," Johan affirmed.

"And you were brought here when he was thinking about what happened here."

"Also correct," Ryo answered.

"Then I need to speak with Judai. It sounds like he might have something to do with your returning to this world."

"What do you mean?" Asuka asked.

"I'm not sure," Misawa admitted. "But it's the only lead I've got." With that, he headed off in search of Judai.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! Here's the next chapter. Hopefully I'll be updating more often now, but no promises. It's a short chapter, but the next one should be longer. Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

Judai and Tania were down by the river when Misawa found them, fishing. He was hesitant to interrupt when he saw that Judai actually seemed to be in a better mood—he was smiling and goofing around with Tania. _Then again,_ he thought, _if I don't talk to him about this, I'll never know what brought them here._

Making up his mind, Misawa walked over, saying, "Judai, can we talk?"

The brunette turned, his smile vanishing. "What about, Misawa?"

"About what you're doing here; recent events; and, possibly, past events."

Judai put his fishing rod down with a sigh, then stood up and turned to his friend. "I don't know what we're doing here. I have no idea how we got here this time."

"I didn't think you would. But I have my suspicions."

"And what would those be?"

"Judai, how did you stop Yubel? What happened to her after your duel?"

"I fused with her," he answered. "Why?"

"So that means she's still around?"

"Yes... Where are you going with this?"

Misawa crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. "Hmm... Isn't she the one that sent the school to that desert dimension?"

"Yes, why?"

"Perhaps she's involved with this latest inter-dimensional trip," Misawa answered.

Judai stared at him for a moment. Misawa couldn't read his expression. Finally, he smacked himself in the face. "Oh, duh! Why didn't I think of that?" Lowering his hand, he explained, "Ever since I fused with Yubel, I've been discovering new powers. You know, increased strength, speed, agility...and then there's the fact that brainwashing doesn't work on me."

Misawa raised an eyebrow. "Brainwashing? What did I miss?"

"Don't ask. Point is, this is probably another one of those powers that I just hadn't discovered yet. Now, if I could just figure out how to control it, we'd be in good shape."

Misawa nodded. "Alright. Then we should work on that next. But, first, about this incident with your cousin's daughter..."

Judai scowled. "Really? I don't want to talk about it, Misawa. It's none of your business, anyway."

This attitude confused Misawa immensely—Judai had never behaved this way before. It was as if the fusion with Yubel had also changed his personality.

Catching the look on his friend's face, Judai sighed. "I'm sorry. You're just trying to help, I know. But I'm fine, so don't worry about it."

"Are you sure, Judai?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he snapped. Turning, he started off, saying, "I'm going to figure out how to get us out of this world. I'll let you know when I figure it out."

"Judai!" Misawa called, but the brunette didn't stop.

Tania walked over to him, saying, "Don't worry about Judai. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"I suppose you're right," Misawa said reluctantly. "I just hope he can deal with the memories."

* * *

It probably wasn't the best idea to run off on his own in Dark World, but Judai didn't think he could handle another interrogation from his friends. It was bad enough that he'd dragged them to Dark World again—he didn't need Misawa asking about Shelly.

"There's no way I'm answering his questions. Let the others fill him in."

He kept walking—he didn't have any intention of heading back to that village until he figured out how to get out of here. He was certain that somebody living there had been a victim of Haou's wrath—_his_ wrath—in some way or other. Maybe they had lost a relative, or their village had been destroyed. Hell, maybe Haou had destroyed _that_ village. Regardless, the last thing he needed right then was for more people to realize what he had done and start reminding him.

_"__Judai, cut it out!"_ Yubel snapped, dragging him from his thoughts. _"What if this is the reason you've been traveling through dimensions so much lately?"_

He stopped, thinking about that. "You mean, maybe I'm activating that power by accident? Through my emotions or thoughts?"

_"__Stranger things have happened, you know."_

"Well, I was thinking about what had happened here after talking to Minato and Lisa..."

_"__And then you wound up here,"_ Yubel finished. _"See? Your thoughts are dragging you through dimensions."_

"Then why would it just now start?"

She shrugged. _"Maybe your emotions have something to do with it."_

He shrugged. "Guess that could be it."

_"__Then you'd better learn to control yourself."_

Judai sighed.

"Judai!"

He turned, startled, to see Asuka running toward him.

"Asuka? What are you doing out here?"

"Misawa said you ran off on your own! Again! What are you doing now, Judai!?" she demanded.

"Calm down," he said, holding his hands up in a calming gesture. "I was just taking a walk, that's all."

"Are you sure? Because, with the way you've been acting lately—"

"Enough!" he cut her off, slamming his eyes shut. "It's different this time! I'm not running off to fight a bunch of fiends to save a friend!"

"I never said you were, Judai," she said gently. "I'm just worried about you, that's all. I mean, you haven't exactly been yourself today."

He shrugged, looking away. "Yeah, I guess. But I'll be fine, so stop worrying."

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure."

"You know what happened wasn't your fault, right?"

He shrugged again.

"Judai, it wasn't your fault! You did everything you could to save her. It's not your fault it didn't work."

He thought back to that day, remembering how focused he'd been on stopping that lunatic. He hadn't stopped to think about Shelly, just like he hadn't stopped to think about his friends back in third year...

"No, I didn't. I didn't even stop to think about her while I was fighting that guy. She...just slipped my mind. Like she didn't matter at all. Just like..."

"Judai, snap out of it! That's all in the past!"

"But it's true! I keep doing this sort of thing! I...never stop to think about anyone when I get focused on something. And because of that, people are always getting hurt!"

As Judai's emotions spiraled out of control, another light blinded the two of them, sending them away yet again.

* * *

Staring at the comet, Jim couldn't help but wish he still had his Eye of Orichalcum. But it had broken after completing its task and saving Judai from the darkness. Still, he had this nasty feeling they may be needing it again. Or, at the very least, another miracle.

"Here's hoping Tomorrow Girl can take care of him," Jim said to himself. "I can't shake the feeling we won't be seeing either of them again if she can't."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Alright! I updated in less than a month! (does a little dance) Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

Asuka opened her eyes slowly, then blinked to make sure they were really open. It was pitch-dark here; she couldn't see two inches in front of her.

"Judai?" she called to the darkness.

An image appeared before her, as if she were watching a movie. It was a scene from the past, a memory.

"Judai, you damn idiot!" Manjoume bellowed. "Weren't you going to save Johan _with_ us!?"

"What is this?" she wondered, watching.

The scene continued—the scene of Manjoume's death. It brought back horrible memories, things she would rather not think about. When she couldn't take anymore, she looked around desperately.

"Judai! Where are you!?"

The scene before her changed. Judai sat on the couch in a spacious living room, reading a fairy tale to a small girl with black hair and blue eyes. The girl's eyes were half closed as she started to fall asleep, but Judai just kept reading. She leaned her head against his chest, and he glanced down at her.

"Tired, Shelly?" he asked, teasing.

"No," she yawned.

Judai laughed slightly, putting the book down on the couch beside him. Then he picked up the little girl, Shelly, and carried her up the stairs.

"I said I'm not tired," she protested sleepily.

"Yeah, sure you're not. But you know when your bedtime is, and your parents aren't gonna be too happy with me if I let you stay up too late, you know."

"Mommy and Daddy don't need to know," Shelly yawned. "I won't tell."

Judai smiled at her. "Well, you're already a couple of hours late, anyway. I'd say it's time to call it a night."

She closed her eyes, her head resting on his shoulder. "Okay."

He carried her into a bedroom. The walls were pink, the furniture white. The bedspread was lavender, and colorful stuffed animals covered the top of the bed. Judai pulled back the covers, placed the little girl in the bed, then tucked her in.

"Judai, you still gonna be here tomorrow?" she asked, grabbing a stuffed rabbit.

He smiled. "Knowing your dad, yeah. He never does make it anywhere on time, does he?"

Shelly smiled, her eyes closed. "No. He's even late getting me from school most of the time."

Judai laughed. "Yeah. I remember when we were growing up, he'd say he'd meet me somewhere at two, and he wouldn't be there til five." He stroked her hair a bit, then added, "Night, Shelly. Sweet dreams."

"Night, Judai. I love you," she said.

He smiled to himself, heading out. Now that the little girl was in bed, all he had to do was wait for the parents to get back.

When he got to the bottom of the stairs, there was a strange man standing there. He was dressed all in black—black jeans, black tank top, black boots and black fingerless gloves. There were silver bands on his wrists and upper arms, and a silver chain around his neck. His blood-red hair was spiky, poking out of the backwards baseball cap he wore. His eyes were the same terrifying color as his hair.

"Who are you?" Judai asked. "How did you get in here?"

"That doesn't matter," the man said. "What does matter is why I'm here. You." He pointed at Judai. "I sense great power in you. Power that could be very useful to me."

"What do you mean, 'useful?'"

"That is not your concern."

"I think it is if you're planning on using my power for it."

"No. It isn't. Now, either you'll agree willingly, or we can do this the hard way."

"The hard way has always sounded more fun to me," Judai said, smirking slightly.

The man didn't look too surprised. He pulled two swords from seemingly nowhere and launched himself at Judai, who barely had time to dodge.

"Whoa! Serious, aren't you?"

"Fight back! Unless you'd rather just surrender!" the man said, slicing at him again.

So Judai darted past the man to the living room, where his duel disk lay on the coffee table. He snatched it up, using it to deflect the next slash, then activated it and summoned Neos.

"Is this the sort of power you hold? You summon Duel Monster holograms?" the man taunted.

"Holograms," Judai smirked. "Yeah, sure."

Neos caught one of the man's swords as it came at him, catching the guy off-guard. Then he snatched it out of his hand, sending him flying into the wall.

The man got to his feet, wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth as he said, "I see. You can make the monsters come to life. That is useful." He gave a malicious smile. "Your power would indeed be useful for me."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Judai said. "I'm not helping you with whatever it is you're planning!"

"Oh, but you will," the man said.

As Asuka watched, she could swear that she saw something dark come off the man, but she quickly lost sight of it. Judai didn't seem to notice it at all.

The fight continued. Somehow nothing seemed able to keep that guy down. Every blow just seemed to make him stronger and more determined. Then, suddenly, a part of the ceiling fell down from above and nearly landed on Judai.

"What the—?"

The man smirked slightly, then ran through the flames to the door. "We'll settle this later!"

"Hold on, that place wasn't on fire a minute ago," Asuka said to herself. "Where did that fire come from?"

As she continued to watch, it was as if Judai were coming out of a trance or something. He looked around, blinking, as if he still didn't quite see the fire right before his eyes. Suddenly he blinked, and his eyes widened.

"Oh, man... I've gotta get Shelly and get out of here!"

He ran for the stairs, getting to the top just as the young girl screamed.

"Shelly!" he called. "I'm coming!"

He darted through the flames and debris, heading for the girl's room. Busting the door down, he saw that the fire was worse in here. Shelly lay on the floor in the middle of the room, a support beam on top of her.

"Judai, help me!" she called, reaching for him, her eyes wide with fear.

Judai coughed, the smoke making it difficult to breathe. "Hold on, Shelly, I'm coming!"

He tried to take a step forward, but some flaming debris fell down right in front of him.

"Damn!" He looked around, trying to find a way to get to Shelly, but he was surrounded by fire. "Well, in that case..."

Asuka's eyes widened as she watched him jump through the flames, trying desperately to reach his cousin's daughter in time.

"Judai!" Shelly coughed.

He was burnt, but he wasn't too worried about that just then. He just patted out the fire on his sleeve, running over to the trapped girl. "It's gonna be okay, Shelly. You're gonna—"

At that moment, Asuka could swear she saw blood-red eyes staring at Judai through the flames. They gleamed evilly, then a cracking sound drew the attention of the two trapped within the fire. They both looked up just as the roof caved in on them.

As suddenly as it had started, the fire seemed to die down. At least, it didn't get any worse. She watched as Judai lay there, surrounded by flames, but by some miracle, they never touched him. Shelly was engulfed, but it was as though some mystical force were protecting Judai. Until the firefighters arrived. As soon as they entered the room, the fire started spreading again, licking at Judai's clothes. One of the firefighters threw a wet towel over him and picked him up, getting him out of there without too much injury.

"What on Earth was that?" Asuka wondered as the image faded.

_"__Judai!" _a voice cried behind her.

Asuka turned as a faint light appeared, illuminating the space enough for her to see Judai laying curled on the ground. Yubel knelt beside him, obviously concerned. Winged Kuriboh hovered nearby, as well, and the light seemed to be coming from it.

"Judai!?" Asuka called, running over. "Hey, are you alright!?"

"Shelly...," he whimpered.

"Judai, come on, snap out of it!" Asuka said, grabbing his arm. "It wasn't your fault! There was more going on there than you realize!"

A woman's voice, one she didn't know, spoke from behind her. "Judai, what are you doing here? You're not welcome."

Glancing back, Asuka saw that the images were again playing. This time, a brunette stood there, her face stained with tears.

"Lisa, I'm sorry," Judai said, though whether it was the one in the memory or the one before her, Asuka wasn't sure.

"Save it, you bastard!" a man said as he entered the scene. "You killed our daughter!"

Asuka turned back to Judai, pulling her attention away from the images. "Judai, don't listen to that! It's not true! They don't know what really happened! I'm telling you, there's more to this that you realize! There was something wrong with that man!"

He glanced up at her slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Something happened while you were fighting him," she said, relieved that he had acknowledged her at all. "I saw something come off of him, but I don't know what it was or where it went. And those flames came out of nowhere!"

Judai looked up at her, confusion in his eyes. "Huh?"

"It's not that you didn't notice it, Judai! It's that it wasn't there before!"

"So, what? It just popped up out of nowhere?" he asked, sitting up.

"I suppose. That's what it looked like."

"Wait a sec, what do you mean, 'that's what it looked like?' You weren't there!"

"Wherever we are now, it seems that this place shows memories." She shook her head. "At this point, I really don't care what happens in each different dimension. Let's just be glad there aren't any monsters attacking us in this one."

He blinked, then looked around. "Huh. And here we all thought Dark World was dark."

Asuka stifled a laugh. Then she asked, "Any idea how we get out of here?"

"Yeah. I figure out how to control the powers I've got that keep sending us all over the twelve dimensions."

He closed his eyes to concentrate, trying to get them out of there, but the images started up again.

"I'm being betrayed and sent away by _you_...," Asuka heard herself say. "To think that I'll have to bear a sadness like this..."

Judai's concentration faltered, and his eyes turned to the images before them.

Asuka cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. "Judai, don't listen to it! That's all in the past!"

"The boy you call 'Johan' is dead," another voice said.

"It didn't matter who you sacrificed as long as it helped _your_ plan!"

"It's the pain of a friend's betrayal that's tearing my soul apart!"

"It's your fault, Aniki!"

"Think about that on your own."

Judai's eyes teared up.

"Judai, don't listen! That's in the past!" Asuka commanded.

"But it was my fault, wasn't it...?" he asked quietly. "I betrayed you... I couldn't protect you... I—"

Before he could finish that, Asuka did something desperate—something she wasn't sure would even work.

She kissed him.

His eyes widened slightly before he slowly closed them, joining in on the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. She threw her arms around his neck as his tongue teased at her lips. She parted them, letting him in.

They would have kept this up and gone even further if Yubel hadn't interrupted them by trying to take over Judai's body. He stopped suddenly, tensing. Asuka pulled back, confused.

Then Yubel reappeared beside them. _"I hate to break up this beautiful scene,"_ she said with evident sarcasm, _"but you still have to get out of here, Judai! And get your other friends out of Dark World?"_

"R-right," he said. Concentrating again, he tried to get them back to Dark World.

A blinding white light told them that he had at least successfully changed dimensions. Whether they were heading back to Dark World or somewhere else was a mystery, though.

* * *

A man with blood-red eyes watched from the shadows as Judai and his friend left his world.

"No! I was so close!" he cried. Slowly, a smirk crept onto his face, and he added, "Oh, well. It's not like he's out of the woods yet. He's still got all those little friends back in Dark World...and I just saw all of the memories he's got from that place. It shouldn't be too hard to break him with that in mind."

Laughing, he vanished, heading straight for Dark World. With any luck, he'd make it to Judai's friends first.


End file.
